Skip to main content

How to turn on YouTube’s Dark Theme for Android and iOS

YouTube
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Earlier in March, YouTube announced it was releasing Dark Theme for mobile after it arrived alongside a redesigned web interface. The feature first came to iOS, and now it’s finally rolling out for Android.

To manually enable it, tap on your profile icon on the top right, then go into Settings > General, and you’ll find the Dark theme toggle right underneath the “Remind me to take a break” feature.

YouTube developed Dark Theme specifically to cut down on glare and allow users to take in the true colors of the videos they’re watching. It’s similar to Twitter’s Night Mode, which also switches the app and web interface to darker colors that are much easier on the eyes.

For iOS users, you can turn the feature on and off through your settings as well. Simply tap on your account icon in the upper right-hand corner, and go to Settings > Dark theme, to toggle Dark Theme on or off. Once you exit from Settings, your background will automatically become dark as you scroll through the feed of videos.

YouTube has been making changes and adding updates to both its site and app since last August. The refresh initially started with a more modern logo.

The mobile app underwent slight redesigns last year as well. The header was switched to white, while the navigation buttons were moved to the bottom of the app. Another newer feature is the ability to play back vertically filmed videos on the entire screen of a smartphone — without the black bars on either side.

As for Dark Theme, it’s especially useful for those who prefer low-light settings. It helps to ease the strain on your eyes, since the darker colors are more gentle than the bright white to which most of us are accustomed. It could also be a nice change from what you’re normally used to seeing while on the site. Google, which owns YouTube, has been rolling out dark theme modes for select apps, such as Android Messages, the default texting app on many Android smartphones, and it has also built in a dark mode into its Pixel smartphones.

Editors' Recommendations

Brenda Stolyar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brenda became obsessed with technology after receiving her first Dell computer from her grandpa in the second grade. While…
Google is launching a powerful new AI app for your Android phone
Google Gemini app on Android.

Remember Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT? Well, it is now officially called Gemini. Also, all those fancy AI features that previously went by the name Duet AI have been folded under the Gemini branding. In case you haven’t been following up all the AI development flood, the name is derived from the multi-modal large language model of the same name.

To go with the renaming efforts, Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on Android. Moreover, the Gemini experience is also being made available to iPhone users within the Google app on iOS. But wait, there’s more.

Read more
What iPhone do I have? How to find out your iPhone model number
Close-up of the iPhone SE 2022 and iPhone 14 Plus camera modules.

Since its landmark introduction in 2007, Apple has released 42 iPhone models, and with at least four new ones introduced every fall, the company is showing no signs of slowing down.

In all that time, Apple has made relatively few significant design changes. The company tends to stick with established designs for three or four years before changing things up, which can sometimes make it difficult to tell which iPhone model you have —  especially if you're getting a secondhand iPhone (with no box to offer a hint) rather than a new one.

Read more
Apple is updating one of the oldest apps on your iPhone
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro showing the screens.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro (left) and iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple has updated one of its original iPhone apps, the Clock app, in the first iOS 17.4 beta. Specifically, the update includes a small, but significant change to the Stopwatch function.

Read more